Profile and mission statement

Our profile

The European Youth Education Centre Magdeburg (EJBM) is one of the key organizations in the field of international youth work and non-formal youth education in Saxony-Anhalt - with many years of extensive expertise in the field, both in terms of personnel and projects, and an extensive network of partnerships throughout Europe. Our services are geared towards young people and all those who work with and for them.

Key topics and standards

As an international youth work institution, we are a key player in youth education in Saxony-Anhalt within the framework of child and youth welfare. We explicitly do not see our primary field of work, intercultural exchange, as an end in itself, but as a proven effective and inevitably necessary tool for building (international) skills, for language and vocational training and thus ultimately for improving the employability of young people.

The qualifications of our employees and professional cooperation with our partners at home and abroad are very important to us. With innovative projects and as organizers and participants of transnational conferences, we actively participate in the further development of international standards and methods in our field.

We draw international projects and ideas to Saxony-Anhalt

In addition to our own services, the EJBM, as an umbrella organization, enables and supports the work of other international organizations and projects in and for Saxony-Anhalt, such as GOEUROPE! or the German-French Youth Office. This network not only regularly succeeds in carrying out internationally funded projects in Saxony-Anhalt, but also in launching its own programs at national and European level.

Partners in Germany and abroad

With the objective to offer young people modern, fair and high-quality opportunities for personal, professional and vocational education, we are committed to promoting and facilitating international education and youth work in Saxony-Anhalt - and especially in Magdeburg. To this end, we cooperate at regional and national level with schools and other educational institutions, associations, NGOs and government organizations at all levels; at international level with the European institutions and our network of partner organizations.

Mission statement

This mission statement describes how we define ourselves as a youth education center. The values and objectives listed here are the basis for the daily work of all employees and the foundation of our services.

Pedagogical concept, objectives and target group

The European Youth Education Center Magdeburg works actively to promote and facilitate international education and youth work in Saxony-Anhalt - and especially in Magdeburg. In our educational work, we follow the German definition of "Bildung" (≈ "education"), which, in addition to learning new skills and imparting knowledge, also explicitly describes a transformative process that invites reflection on cultural, political and social diversity, especially in the international arena, and makes it possible to deal with challenges and uncertainties openly, calmly and actively.

We have the declared objective of providing all young people with such learning and educational experiences in order to empower them and give them the opportunity to fully develop their potential for inventiveness, openness, resilience and creativity. In this way, we want to prepare them for the ever faster pace of change in the professional world and society and encourage them to use the talents and skills they have acquired on this path in our region.

Our offers and services are primarily intended for young people and professionals who work for and with them. We see young people as experts for themselves, for their individual problems, their individual goals, their everyday realities and views. Our services are not intended to explain the world to them, but rather to help them make up their own minds and always encourage them to discover new perspectives, reflect on their own convictions and make use of the openness they have gained.

Values and working methods

In line with the European motto "United in diversity", we are an open and diverse place that invites people to meet and exchange ideas on the basis of mutual respect. The canon of values of the European Union is the authoritative basis of our work and our cooperation:

In line with our view of young people as experts for themselves, we rely on peer education where appropriate and possible in order to keep our topics and offerings accessible and widely available with the help of the multiplier effect. This applies in particular to our political and democratic education offerings.

In the field of international and intercultural education, we strive to provide comprehensive educational processes that go beyond the mere transfer of knowledge and enable new perspectives, approaches and experiences through exchange and encounters - and thus form the basis for new professional and personal competencies.